System for receiving and processing multimedia messages sent to a mobile device and method thereof

ABSTRACT

A system for providing multimedia messages to a mobile device and a method thereof. The system includes a portal server, such as an integrated web portal server, structured to receive and direct processing of a multimedia message. The system may also include a Short Message System (SMS) server acting as an interface between the portal server and the mobile device. The SMS server may forward an SMS message to the mobile device indicating that the multimedia message has been received for the mobile device. Other features of the system may include an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) server for converting the multimedia message to a text message, a media server to store the multimedia message for retrieval by the mobile device, and a billing server structured to determine an amount to bill for processing of the multimedia message.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to multimedia messaging in a mobileenvironment. More particularly, and not by way of limitation, thepresent invention is directed to a system and method for receiving andprocessing multimedia messages sent to a mobile device and methodthereof.

In the art, there exists a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) that isfully specified by standards organizations, including 3GPP, 3GPP2, andthe Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). MMS is an evolution of the Short MessageService (SMS) and is designed to send and receive multimedia messagessuch as graphics or pictures, video, audio, etc. However, implementationof the MMS is a slow process due to factors such as providing universalmobile device support and universal network interoperability. It isestimated that it will take several years before MMS technology isubiquitous.

As an alternative to MMS, and primarily implemented at the time in Asiancountries, Voice SMS is an emerging technology and is based ontechnology similar to that of SMS text messaging. In Voice SMS, a userrecords a voice message with a service, and an SMS text message is sentby the service to an intended recipient of the recorded messageindicating that they have received a Voice SMS from the user. Thenotification to the intended recipient may also include a phone numberto call in which to retrieve the voice message.

Since SMS text messaging is provided for most mobile devices, there areno mobile device configuration or interoperability problems with VoiceSMS as are associated with MMS.

However, it may be desirable to store the multimedia messages for aperiod of time for access by the mobile device, or determine an amountto bill for processing and/or storing of the multimedia messages.Further, it may be desirable to provide added value to the message, suchas providing targeted advertising along with the voice message when thevoice message is retrieved. To do this, an architectural platform whichprovides a global service with integrated SMS alerts would bebeneficial.

Also, there may be instances where it is desirable to convert themultimedia message, for example, using a speech-to-text conversionprogram, and provide the contents of the multimedia message to therecipient in a text message format. This latter example may be usefulfor situations such as when the system determines that the intendedrecipient may be deaf, or when the intended recipient indicates to thesystem that they are in an environment where retrieving voice messagesis not possible, such as in a meeting.

Further, it may be desirable in situations when a text message is beingsent from a user to a recipient for the text message to be converted toa voice message, for example, when the system determines that theintended recipient may have sight problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in exemplary embodiments, overcomes the abovedisadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, thepresent invention is not required to overcome the disadvantagesdescribed above, and an exemplary embodiment of the present inventionmay not overcome any of the problems described above.

Thus, in one aspect, the present invention is directed to a system thatmay include a portal server, such as an integrated web portal server,structured to receive and direct processing of a multimedia message. Thesystem may also include a Short Message Service (SMS) server acting asan interface between the portal server and the mobile device. The SMSserver may forward an SMS message, for example, Voice SMS or Video SMS,to the mobile device indicating that the multimedia message has beenreceived for the mobile device. Other features of the system may includean Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) server for converting themultimedia message to a text message, a media server to store themultimedia message for retrieval by the mobile device, and a billingserver structured to determine an amount to bill for processing of themultimedia message.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method forproviding multimedia messages to a mobile device. In this aspect, themethod may comprise receiving a multimedia message at a portal server;processing the multimedia message according to predetermined criteria;and sending a notification to the mobile device that the multimediamessage has been received for the mobile device.

In yet another aspect, the present invention is directed to acomputer-readable medium comprising instructions for: receiving amultimedia message at a portal server; processing the multimedia messageaccording to predetermined criteria; and sending a notification to themobile device that the multimedia message has been received for themobile device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

In the following section, the invention will be described with referenceto exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for receiving and processing multimediamessages sent to a mobile device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for receiving and processingmultimedia messages sent to a mobile device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another method for receiving andprocessing multimedia messages sent to a mobile device according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating yet another method for sending andreceiving multimedia messages sent to a mobile device according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for receiving and processing multimediamessages sent to a mobile device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention. Note that in the present invention, multimedia messagesmay include graphics or pictures, video, audio, and Voice SMS, as wellas Video SMS. In FIG. 1, to initiate sending a multimedia message from auser of a mobile device 110 to a recipient user of a mobile device 120,the user of the mobile device 110 may dial a phone number or indicate anetwork address for which to contact the recipient user of the mobiledevice 120. Note that the mobile devices 110/120 are not limited tocellular devices as shown in FIG. 1, but may include PDA devices,instant messaging devices, email devices, pagers, or even personalcomputers. Further, a server 150 of the invention may even be configuredin exemplary embodiments of the invention to be used with fixed orstationary devices operable to communicate with one another.

Accordingly, the user of the mobile device 110 sends a multimediamessage, such as a telephone call through the public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) which may be routed to an interface of the PSTN, such asa Private Branch eXchange (PBX) server 140 of the system 100. Forexample, calls may be routed such as *npa-nxx-xxxx and *0* to server 140for processing.

The PSTN/GSX server 140 may then route the telephone call to theintegrated web portal IMX/HC/VG server 150.

The server 150 may be structured to receive, process, and provide accessto multimedia messages, such as the recorded voice message, to therecipient user of the mobile device 120. For processing the multimediamessages, the server 150 may, for example, draw information from adatabase 165 that includes mobile device characteristics, such asnetwork, architecture, or platform characteristics based on thetelephone number or web address of known mobile devices and use thesecharacteristics to format the multimedia message to a format compatiblewith the mobile device 120. This may facilitate sending multimediamessages between different networks, or when there are interoperabilitydifferences among the mobile devices.

The server 150 may also direct that the multimedia message be saved instorage, such as in media server 170 for future retrieval by therecipient mobile device 120. Further, the server 150 may direct thatadvertising messages or other information messages (for example, companycontact information, weather, etc.) be appended to multimedia message sothat a user retrieving the message may receive targeted advertising orother information. Also, the server 150 may direct billing database 175to calculate a billing amount associated with receiving and processingthe multimedia message.

Once the message has been received, processed as appropriate, andstored, an SMS message may be sent via an SMS Interface server 180 tothe recipient user of the mobile device 120 to notify them that the userof mobile device 110 has sent them a multimedia message. At this point,in exemplary embodiments, the recipient user of the mobile device 120may choose to listen and/or view the multimedia message (for example, aVoice SMS or a Video SMS) as it is stored by the server 150. In any ofthe embodiments, a notification sent to the recipient user of the mobiledevice 120, such as an SMS message, may also include the text conversionof the multimedia message.

In another embodiment, the server 150 may direct a speech-to-textconversion of the multimedia message via ASR/TTS server 160 and forwardthe text message to the mobile device 120. Alternatively, in situationswhere there is a text message sent from the mobile device 110, theserver 150 may direct converting the text message into speech and voicemail and forward the voice mail to the mobile device 120.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method 200 for receiving andprocessing multimedia messages sent to a mobile device according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2, in step 210,a multimedia message is sent by a user of one mobile device with theintention of its being reviewed by a recipient user of another mobiledevice.

In step 220, the message is received by a call center server.

Next, in step 230, the call center server directs processing and storageof the multimedia message. As noted above, the processing of themultimedia message may include adding advertising messages or otherinformation messages (for example, company contact information, weather,etc.) to the multimedia message so that a user retrieving the multimediamessage may receive targeted advertising or other information.

In step 240, an SMS message is sent to the recipient user of the mobiledevice indicating that the call center is holding a multimedia messagefor the recipient user.

Finally, in step 250, the multimedia message may be accessed by therecipient user either by calling into the server 150 or even, forexample, accessing the message via email or through a website.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another method 300 for receiving andprocessing multimedia messages sent to a mobile device according to anexemplary embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 3, in step 310,a multimedia message is sent by a user of one mobile device with theintention of its being reviewed by a recipient user of another mobiledevice.

In step 320, the message is received by a call center server.

Next, in step 330, the call center server determines whether there is astandard operable with the recipient mobile device into which to formatthe multimedia message received at a data center. When the standard isthat the multimedia message should be converted to a text message, thecall center may convert the multimedia message to a text message, and instep 340, alert the recipient mobile device of the text message. In anexemplary method, based on the length of the text message, the textmessage may be sent as an SMS message. Alternatively, for longermessages, the call center may choose to forward the text message viaemail to the recipient user.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating yet another method 400 for providingmultimedia messages to a mobile device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 4, in step 410, a textmessage is sent by a user of one mobile device with the intention of itsbeing reviewed by a recipient user of another mobile device.

In step 420, the message is received by a call center server.

Next, in step 430, the call center server directs processing and storageof the multimedia message and also directs notification via SMS messagethat a multimedia message has been received for the mobile device.

Concurrently with this, the call center server may also, in step 440direct calculations of a billing amount associated with receiving andprocessing the multimedia message. Also, the call center may appendadvertising to the multimedia message. In this case, a user may chooseto listen to the advertisement to offset costs of the amount billed forusing the messaging system.

As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, the innovativeconcepts described in the present application can be modified and variedover a wide range of applications. Accordingly, the scope of patentedsubject matter should not be limited to any of the specific exemplaryteachings discussed above, but is instead defined by the followingclaims.

What is claimed:
 1. A system for providing multimedia messages to a mobile device, the system comprising: a portal server configured to receive a multimedia message and store the multimedia message in a media server for future retrieval by the mobile device; and a short message service (SMS) server interfaced between the portal server and the mobile device, the SMS server configured to transmit a SMS message to the mobile device notifying the mobile device that the multimedia message has been received for retrieval, wherein the SMS message comprises a text conversation of the multimedia message; wherein the portal server is further configured to receive a response from the mobile device after the mobile device receives the SMS message, and, based on the response, direct access to the multimedia message for retrieval.
 2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic speech recognition (ASR) server configured to convert the multimedia message to a text message.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the media server is configured to store the multimedia message for retrieval by the mobile device.
 4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a billing server configured to determine an amount to bill for at least one of processing and storing the multimedia message.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the portal server is further configured to append at least one additional message to the multimedia message such that mobile device downloading the multimedia message receives the at least one additional message.
 6. A method for providing multimedia messages to a mobile device, the method comprising: receiving a multimedia message at a portal server; storing, by the portal server, the multimedia message in a media server for future retrieval by the mobile device; and sending, from a short message service (SMS) server, a notification to the mobile device that the multimedia message has been received for retrieval; wherein the notification comprises a text conversation of the multimedia message; wherein the portal server is further configured to receive a response from the mobile device after the mobile device receives the SMS message, and, based on the response, direct access to the multimedia message for retrieval.
 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the multimedia message comprises a voice message processed into a text message by automatic speech recognition.
 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the notification comprises the text message.
 9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the multimedia message comprises a text message processed into a voice message by text-to-speech recognition.
 10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the multimedia message comprises at least one of a Voice SMS and a Video SMS.
 11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the notification comprises a Short Message Service (SMS) message.
 12. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: receiving, by the portal server, a response from the mobile device after the mobile device receives the notification; and providing the mobile device with access to the stored multimedia message for retrieval.
 13. The method according to claim 6, further comprising determining a billing amount for the multimedia message.
 14. The system of claim 6, wherein the multimedia message is stored for a period of time for access by the mobile device.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for: receiving a multimedia message at a portal server; storing the multimedia message in a media server for future retrieval by a mobile device; and sending a notification to the mobile device that the multimedia message has been received for retrieval; wherein the notification comprises a text conversation of the multimedia message; wherein the portal server is further configured to receive a response from the mobile device after the mobile device receives a Short Message Service (SMS) message, and, based on the response, direct access to the multimedia message for retrieval.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the multimedia message comprises one of a Voice SMS and Video SMS, and the at least one of a Voice SMS and Video SMS is processed into a text message by automatic speech recognition.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for receiving a response from the mobile device after the mobile device receives the notification, and providing the mobile device with access the stored multimedia message for retrieval.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, further comprising instructions for determining a billing amount for the multimedia message.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein a predetermined criteria comprises targeted advertising criteria. 